


A Chance Encounter

by storm_dog_pirate



Category: Nikolai Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Assassins AU, F/M, Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22017052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storm_dog_pirate/pseuds/storm_dog_pirate
Summary: One target. Two assassins. But one was always ahead of the other.
Relationships: Nikolai Lantsov/Zoya Nazyalensky
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	A Chance Encounter

Zoya watched the crowd on the dancefloor with narrowed eyes. The people dancing happily to the upbeat music the bad was playing were blocking the view of her target, making it hard for her to keep track of his movements as he went from table to table and greeted the guests.

The target was a young business man who was known as “Mr. Kirigin” in the industry who ran a fair number of ports all over the country. Though their records were a clean slate, those numerous ports of his were also the main route of the illegal shipments of drugs and weapons—even the components in making a nuclear bomb—and it operated non-stop.

Apparently, one of Kirigin’s competitors probably had enough with the rapid boom of the man’s business and decided to come to the Circle to put Kirigin down. Juris had given Zoya the job immediately, and she almost turned it down, saying that it was a child’s play to assassinate a businessman.

But now she was glad she didn’t—the amount on Kirigin’s head had too many zeroes to ignore.

Zoya sipped at her champagne and leaned back over the high-table, waiting for the man to leave the current table he was staying and talking rather enthusiastically with his other business partners.

She fought the smirk that came up to her lips. Too bad that he was her target, or otherwise she could’ve taken her time trying to cozy up to the man.

Kirigin finally departed from his current table and walked over the buffet table, exchanging a few words with the caterer behind before turning back to the crowd. He stayed on his spot with a half-empty glass in his hand, quietly letting his eye wander around the expanse of the ballroom, and Zoya took it as an opening. She downed the remaining of her champagne and sauntered across the dancefloor towards the man.

But even before she could make it halfway through, she caught on a strong, _familiar_ scent, and she felt a hand grab at hers, abruptly turning her around and raising her hand to a shoulder. 

Blue eyes met with hazel ones, and Zoya felt dread pool at her stomach, along with something more unwelcomed and _burning._

_If he’s here, then he’d definitely—_

A smirk appeared on his lips as he gripped at her free hand and raised it to the side. He pulled her closer, their faces mere inches apart. “So, can I ask what’s the Storm doing at a business party?” he asked in a low voice, the deep sound sending a shiver through her. “I thought parties weren’t your thing?”

Zoya gritted her teeth through pursed lips, letting him lead the two of them in a slow dance. She hadn’t even heard the upbeat music turn into a mellow one, and everyone around them had also gotten to the same stance as theirs.

“Well, you thought wrong, _Sturmhond,_ ” she replied tersely. Her mind suddenly reminded her of the job and she risked a glance back to Kirigin from the buffet table, but the man wasn’t there anymore.

A hand came up to the side of her face, gently turning her back to him. “My, my. I think it’s rude to look at another man when you’re already with one.” He dipped his head low enough to be in level with her. She felt his lips morph into a smirk against her ear and lowly added, “Especially when that man is already walking over to his grave.”

Zoya’s anger rose. She had never quite understood who this man really was, on how he was often one step ahead of her with the targets that they _coincidentally_ both have—with the blond not even belonging to the Circle.

She just knew him from the numerous encounters they had in the past three years, and more times than not, he had been the one to successfully do the job.

And it had frustrated her ever since their first meeting.

“Confident with yourself, aren’t you?” Zoya said instead, shoving down her anger and trying to blend in with the crowd like an intimate couple in a dance should be. “With you here, it’d only make my job a lot more challengeable.” She crept a hand to the back of his head, running a hand softly to the short ends, and she suppressed a laugh when she heard him hitch a breath. She put her lips next to his ear. “And you know I _love_ challenges.”

To her surprise, the blond chuckled, the deep rumble doing various things to her mind. Zoya hated how he could affect her in ways she didn’t want, and it only fueled her anger towards him even more.

“Trust me, love, I know.” He paused, and then huffed a laugh. “But this time, that _challenge_ is already done.”

Her hand came down to slit of her dress, reaching for the small knife strapped to her thigh, but the blond was already there stopping her with his own, an amused chuckle escaping him. He suddenly had her in a dipping position, his other hand clutching at hers that was almost at the weapon’s handle, and Zoya struggled to break free.

“Futile, love. But perhaps next time,” he said, his breath on her neck. Then she felt it—his lips pressing on her pulse point in a chaste kiss, and it was enough to make her freeze her movements. He pulled away to look at her, giving her a half-wink. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”

He pulled her up to a standing position, and had already disappeared in the crowd just as Zoya was fully on her feet. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd, trying to find him, but of course, to no avail. He was just as quick to disappear as he had appeared earlier.

Zoya struggled to even her breaths after what just happened. _Damn him_ , she cursed in her mind as she made her way out of the dancefloor.

A scream tore into the air, causing multiple gasps to resound all at once. She quickly made her way to the direction of the commotion, and stopped abruptly in her tracks when she saw what it was. Around her, people started panicking and shouting for help.

Kirigin was already dead.

**Author's Note:**

> Just created my acc here. I posted this on Tumblr a few weeks ago, so here you go. ;)


End file.
